Richard Madeley says ITV's Good Morning Britain feels like 'going into battle'

Richard Madeley, known for his often controversial views on ITV's Good Morning Britain, has likened his role on the show to "like going to battle".

After sparking concern among fans with his sudden absence due to illness, Richard is eagerly anticipating a scheduled break but confirms he'll be back on our screens by mid-September.

When quizzed about gearing up for the early mornings and the demands of live TV after time off, he disclosed: "It's almost like going into battle, you have to check all your equipment. I'm due back in the middle of September and I can guarantee you the weekend before I come back, I will be checking I have four alarms set because I'm terrified of sleeping through an alarm."

He elaborated on his meticulous morning routine, saying: "I'll be resetting all of my alarm clocks, which are basically kind of brick mobile phones and I'll be sorting out all my little toiletries in the morning, because I have a strict routine in the morning so I don't waste any time, which means I can sleep for as long as possible."

Richard went on to describe his pre-show preparations: "I'll be lining up my toothbrush, my toothpaste, my deodorant, my hairbrush, my wash and go shampoo, my aftershave and my eyedrops, and they'll all be lined up very neatly on the kitchen top so I just have to kind of tumble out of bed and tumble downstairs and that will all be there waiting for me. I'll check my clothes, polish my shoes, and pick the outfits I'm going to wear for the first week. I'll be in absolutely ready to go mode," reports the Mirror.

On his anticipated comeback, he says he'd love to interview two famous women - Taylor Swift and Kamala Harris. He said of Taylor: "She doesn't really give interviews, she just issues statements and writes songs but there are so many questions that one would like to ask her given her status now and what's happened to her over the last two or three years."

Describing Swift as an unmatched icon, he compared her impact to that of The Beatles, remarking, "She's an absolute phenomenon which, absolutely in terms of the impact, is equal to the Beatles. So if this was like 40 years ago, you would say 'I'd like to interview the Beatles' but now you'd want to get Taylor Swift because she is just a cultural phenomenon."

And regarding Kamala Harris, he's betting on her historic rise to the presidency, stating confidently: "She's going to be the first woman President of the United States, and the first black woman President of the United States. I think that her emergence as a really credible contender against Trump is phenomenal because until Biden stood down, she was widely derided really and she completely confounded everyone's expectations so I would love to interview Kamala Harris."

Meanwhile, Susanna Reid is gearing up for her return to GMB after a summer break, during which she remained glued to the show. She admitted: "I love doing my job - the news agenda has been so busy and I have been avidly watching GMB while I have been off."

GMB is on ITV weekdays at 6am